Be Careful What You Wish For....

.....because it just may happen!!  And actually I'm beyond thrilled about this latest wish-come-true.....I've just been juried in to The Daily Painters for Abstract Artists!!  I've been lurking on the Daily Painter sites for the past few years and they've never ever ever had openings for new artists.  So today my Art Angel Fairy Godmother smiled upon me and put me in touch with Kimberly Conrad http://www.kimberlyconradfineart.com/ , fellow abstract artist and founder of  http://dailypaintersabstract.blogspot.com/ who juried me straight into the lineup.  So what exactly does that mean?  It means my musings about doing daily paintings earlier this year are coming true and now I'm actually going to do it.  In reality not everybody posts every single day.  The rules ask that you post at least 3x a week and preferably more often.  So -- check out the new widget (another new thing I learned about today) on the side of this posting and click on the site to see what other talented artists I'm going to be showing with!  The other thing is the postings will show up on my blog so if getting regular alerts stating I've got new work up on my site bugs the juice out of you, then let me know and I'll see if I can take you off the list.  Otherwise--keep an eye out for new works coming soon.....I'm trying to figure all this computer stuff out tonight or tomorrow so I can start posting right away!

Artist's getaway in Nevada City

Lately I've been climbing the walls with deadlines, work, stress over personal matters, and more deadlines.  I needed to get away but I didn't want to go anywhere far.  The ocean always calls to me when I feel like this and it's only a couple of hours away but it was raining like cats and dogs and with more rain in the forecast I checked "ocean" of my list.  I own a Toyota SUV with 4-wheel drive but I don't know how to use it and snow was dumping in the Sierras so going to Tahoe wasn't going to work.  So I called a friend of mine who was going through a similar time and we decided to head up to Nevada City which is about an hour away from my house; surrounded by mountains and under the snow line.  Perfect!!  What made this adventure even more perfect was the place we ended up staying at!!  I went on-line and found an adorable 2 bedroom, 2 bath cottage within walking distance to the main town for rent.  Even better was the deal -- stay 2 nights....get 1 free!!  But the best, best, BEST part of all??  This was a cottage that was designed and decorated by another artist.  Check out these photos -- I'm definitely going back when the weather gets better.

New show -- new works!

I've been on a painting frenzy these past few weeks and am excited about being one of the featured artists this month in the main upstairs gallery at The Foundry!  I've got a total of 11 paintings that will be hung upstairs in addition to a lot of new works inside my studio.  Here are photos of some of the new paintings along with my apologies for the quality of these photos.....I shot these inside the gallery without a flash.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday wishes are in order today for one of my favorite Coming Abstractions followers, Anne Eversmann, who lives in cold and snowy Ohio. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNE!!! Anne was one of my first blog followers and via the internet we've formed a wonderful friendship sharing thoughts, musings, art, and encouragement. When I first started blogging I seriously didn't think anyone would even want to read what I wrote or see what I created. I blogged because "art marketing experts" said you had to in order to be successful. After receiving my very first comment from someone other than a friend (that was you, Anne) I was hooked! Now I get comments every week from people I haven't even met but who apparently have found my blog somehow. Some of them I don't even see in my group of followers but apparently they are there. I'm not sure how all of this cyberspace stuff works but I'm finding that maybe those art marketing people do indeed know a thing or two about marketing!  Anne--I am thanking you "publicly" for your friendship, support and encouragement. You are a bright shiny guiding light in my life.

Surgery and healing by art

On January 13th I had surgery that required my staying home for five days straight.  The first day home was a blur; the 2nd day was a bit better though uncomfortable; and by the 3rd day I started getting cabin fever and needed to be up and around or I'd lose my mind.  Medicating myself with a nice little pain pill enabled me to move around and I slowly converted my newly painted dining room into a painting studio so I could paint all day and night.  And paint, paint, paint, I did!  My dining room walls needed a bit of touch-up after a few sessions of paint flinging but this experience pushed me into a whole new series that I'm producing at my gallery downtown. 

Here are a few works from those blurred days of unbridled painting.  The one on the left is called "Sybil's Escape" (see all the faces??) and measures 7.5" x 15.25" done with acrylics and charcoal on 300-lb Arches watercolor paper.  The top right painting is called "Sunset 1" and is a 12" x 12" x .75" canvas; the bottom right painting is called "Sunrise 1" and is 12" x 12" x .75".  of these are painted with acrylic paints.

An Artist's Prayer

For several months I've subscribed to a wonderful blog written by another fellow artist buddy from Australia named Carl Kuerschener.  Carl is an artist; talented writer and soon to be published author on the subject of making and marketing art.  You can check out his information at:  http://www.caku-art.com/artist.html

Recently Carl wrote a post that really resonated with me and I thought I'd share it with you.  Maybe it's something to do with my Catholic school background and prayers but honestly it stopped me in my tracks and made me think!  And best of all, this prayer made me act (see item #14).  My heartfelt thanks to all of my art buddies out there -- I hope you too gleen some inspiration from the prayer below!

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An Artists Prayer
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1. Love what you do

2. Be patient

3. Do not tolerate disorder. Inspiration finds it difficult to present itself when there is chaos.

4. Don't question your talent, just use it. Focus on how, and forget about why.

5. Always remember the best way around fear is going straight through it

6. Never make excuses. Nobody is responsible for your life but you.

7. Never wait for the perfect opportunity. The path you walk will always be uneven. Learn how to step over the cracks, deal will the setbacks and learn to assess how to make the most of your time and energy in order to keep moving forward.

8. Know that as an artist, you are prone to self-sabotage.  Don't deny it, because if you do you can never be prepared to confront it.  Know that there is no greater force that will try to "remove you" from your craft than that little inner voice of defiance. Know that it is there, accept some of the crap it will try to get you to believe, but carry on doing your work regardless. Time, persistence and accepting that each day is a going to be different is what will keep you winning the fight against self sabotage and that little inner voice of defiance.

9. Don't work for applause. Be of service to your craft.

10. Know that you are not your art.  Avoid identifying yourself through the paintbrush. Society, history, family and love have given you the privilege to be an artist. If you believe you are your art, you'll dilly dally around in your own mind instead of mastering your technique.  Master your technique, use the privilege you have been given, so when inspiration hits, you will always be ready to create that masterpiece(wink).

11. Don't be too proud to seek help. Know that you cannot do it all on your own. Ask for assistance. We all need a lawyer, accountant and a coach.

12. Accept that the art industry is a breeding ground for criticism. Critics know that it hurts you when they are critical. Criticism is the weak man's way of trying to get you to be obedient. He knows full well that criticism doesn't just hurt you psychologically; it hurts you on a cellular level also. Remove the emotion and look at your art objectively. Do that and you'll be able to watch the critics tear your work to pieces while you sit back and have a laugh.

13. Know that your career as an artist and many days five, ten, fifteen years from now will throw challenges at you. Be aware of this and it will save you from being overcome by humiliation and defeat. Be aware of it so your inner voice of defiance (self-sabotage) does not wallow in it like a pig in a sty when challenges do arise. Keep your mind on what is good. Be grateful you get to use your craft and be the performer, regardless if you have to dodge a few tomatoes from the audience from time to time.

14. Acknowledge and appreciate other artists, creators and people serving your industry.

Happy New Year

My favorite holiday of the year is New Year's -- most particularly New Year's Eve.  In my mind New Year's Eve is a magical day in which new personal goals, hopes and dreams for the upcoming year are created;  and mistakes, regrets, negative feelings and thoughts that occurred during the past year are forgiven, forgotten, and put aside forever. 

In 2009 I managed to pare down my hours at the development firm to part time and have committed to living a more artful life.  Obviously this has had a bit of a financial impact on my in-bound cash flow situation but I'm fortunate to have ample reserves and have decided it's now or never.  Besides--the phrase "starving artist" is NOT in my vocabulary.  Nor is it an option!

One of my many 2010 goals is to create and implement a marketing plan for my gallery and art.  I'll be reworking my website; beginning a regular newsletter; participating in more art competitions and shows; teaching classes (glass, lampworking; upcycled art and collage); consciously creating a web presence (this blog; ETSY; EBay: Artfire; etc.) and doing more networking with fellow artists.  I'm also spending more time creating -- both at the gallery downtown and in my glass studio. 

A concept I was considering was painting 100 paintings in 100 days for $100 -- I have already purchased 2 cases of 12" x 12" canvases and have started working on some sketches.   Being the commitment-phobe that I am I have doubts that I can handle the pressure of creating 100 works in 100 days but rest assured -- there will be 100 new paintings for $100 in 2010!

Baby steps.....I have to remember to take baby steps.

Happy New Year's!!

JJ

Bright new abstracts

December has been a long and busy month for me with the holidays,out of town guests and two art shows that I participated in.  Burning the candle at both ends finally caught up with me and I was down with a flu bug for a few days.  Feeling miserable and more than a tad bit sorry for myself, I sketched a couple of scenes from my living room sofa onto 12" x 12" x 3/4" canvases and tried out some new acrylic paints that are in tiny plastic bottles (cheap stuff from Michael's).  I highlighted them with Caran d'Ache Neocolor crayons and sprayed them with a varnish spray.  I loved working with the liquid acrylics -- they're matte and creamy and remind me of gouache, one of my favorite mediums.  I love the bright colors and the exercise did a lot to bring my spirits up--both physically and mentally.  I'm feeling great again and am now inspired to make some more pieces using these mediums.  Here are the two works:  one featuring my red leather chair and the other is a tiny table with a vase of silk flowers in the corner of my living room. 

Lynn Scholl's sculpture dogs & more

I am surrounded by talented friends.  Lynn Scholl, a creative force in art and the landscape architecture field, recently participated in the "Dog & Cat Show" at The Skinner Gallery in Sacramento.  Lynn specializes in assemblage and mixed-media art and created two outstanding dogs out of an array of found objects like typewriter keys; air filters; washers; light bulbs, wood and metal.  What you and I might see as junk, Lynn sees as treasures and puts them together in ways we'd never imagine.  Here's a photo of Lynn standing next to "Borg Dog."  This piece sold on opening night.

This next photo is Lynn standing next to "Ozone" -- an adorable little guy whose torso is made from an air filter.  I love him!

Lynn was also the featured artist recently in the Examiner.  Check out this fantastic article:
http://www.examiner.com/x-13163-Sacramento-Gardening-Scene-Examiner~y2009m12d12-December-show-at-Skinner-Howard-Art-goes-to-the-dogs-and-cats

Way to go, Lynn -- I can't wait to see what unique little creatures you come up with next!!

Upcycled tags

I love to turn junk into treasures.  Some people call it recycling but I figure since I'm changing the original piece into a higher and better use that I will call my process "upcyling."  Awhile back I snagged an entire string of Formica plastic laminate samples from one of the architects at work and didn't want to throw them away so decided to upcycle them into gift tags for the holidays.  What a fun process.....first I put a base coat of gesso over the entire tag (front and back); let it dry then cover with a thin coat of acrylic paint.  Once the paint dries I loosely smear another color(s) on; let dry; then start gluing photos; feathers; beads; buttons; magnetic words and other "found objects" onto the tag.  I use Elmer's Glue for the paper products and E6000 glue for everything else.  I let everything dry overnight then come in and add my accents -- oil pastels; tiny dots; Sharpie pens; etc.  The backs are left blank so you can write on them if you want or use them for ornaments; wine tags; or funky pendants.  Last night I made 24 tags and will be bringing them into the studio to sell for 2nd Saturday.  My next project -- upcycled keys and my fun "Key People" aka "Alter Egos!" 

A Crazy November

November was a flurry of work, artistic and social activities for me.....I attended another painting workshop taught by abstract figurative artist Ursula O'Farrell in Aptos; learned how to do Viking Knit at a class in Benicia; taught a glass workshop in my home studio; had a Viking Knit art day at my house with my art buddies and was a featured artist lecturer for a bus of art lovers in my midtown studio on 2nd Saturday.  I also played hostess to my best friend and her family from Seattle over the Thanksgiving holidays; attended BABE in Oakland (Bay Area Bead Extravaganza); and was part of the screening party for the new KVIE series on Sacramento Artists and 2nd Saturdays.  In my spare time and as part of my real day job I managed to close a $2.78 million dollar sale for a commercial building in Roseville; landed a nice project management job and finished 10 new glass works for my upcoming show at Arareity Jewelers where I'm one of two featured glass artits for December.   No wonder I'm exhausted!!  Here are a few photos from some of these activities:

Tammy and Sandy in my glass studio wearing their sexy goggles......safety first!!  Below are some samples of their beautiful work they completed in class.

Lynn and daughter Katie standing behind the big bronze bear in front of Arnold Schwarzenegger's office at the State Capitol

 









Here is an example of how to set up a palette using the method that Ursula O'Farrell demonstrates in her class.  The two colors on the left are complimentary colors; the middle three are whites in various amounts; and the ones on the right are blacks.  The two complimentary colors are blended with the blobs of black and white (separately) to form various tones of the color.  The results are then blended together again to get beautiful neutral shades (Ursula calls the blended shades "children" of the parental original colors).

Viking Knit

Yesterday I attended a workshop in Benicia to learn how to make Viking Knit.  It was a bit tricky at first but once I got the hang of it I decided I really enjoyed the process.  Here's what I made yesterday using some beads I torched awhile back. 

Back from Mendocino

I'm back from another fun and inspirational workshop by Robert Burridge in Mendocino.  It was great to see several familiar faces from the last class I took earlier this year -- including my painting buddy Phil with his twisted sense of humor and neverending enthusiasm.  We painted every day for an average of 10-12 hours per day; stopping for a quick meal in the afternoon and adult refreshments later with the rest of the night time painting group.  This was an advanced class that focused on creating bigger and looser abstract paintings.  Bob really tried to emphasize the use of a theme which I tried to incorporate throughout the week but as you will see I didn't exactly succeed with using just one (theme).  Here are three paintings that I used abstract figures in -- the first one is called "Guerilla Love" and is an acrylic on canvas that measures 18" x 24"

The second painting is called "Exploring My Options" and is acrylic on 300 lb. Arches watercolor paper.  It measures 22" x 30" and has deckled edges even though they were cropped off in this photo.

I really like painting on paper -- I can use a flat surface and really dig into the paper.....you can see the deep scribbles to the right and left of the main figure (the words are just random ones that popped into my head while I was scratching them into the paper).  I can't be this "rough" with the canvas paintings though I definitely try!

I also did this small 10" x 10" figure on paper called "Falling Back."

The second theme that I did this past week was abstract landscapes -- mostly seascapes.  Both of these paintings are small ones -- 10" x 10" on paper with deckled edges.

The last theme happened late Thursday afternoon after I got thoroughly frustrated with the previous two themes.  I went back to my "safe" zone and started painting more fences.  Here are three works that I completed -- the first one is on 10" x 10" paper and is called "Twister."  The second one is currently on display in the main gallery at The Foundry Gallery and is called "Mendocino Fences (18" x 24" canvas) and the third painting called "Peace Garden" is 22" x 30" watercolor paper with acrylics.

Altogether I worked on 34 paintings -- finished 12 and the rest are works in progress that I hope to finish soon.  My studio mate Brenda worked on 20 paintings and Phil finished 12.  As much as I tried to slow down and finish whatever painting I was working on I just couldn't make myself stop from trying something new.....hence the crazy number of new works!  This last photo was taken by Brenda outside of the Little River Inn....here's Phil and myself on a wooden bench that is carved out of an old redwood tree that blew down in a storm many years ago. 

Now that I'm back home again I'm working on my upcoming December show called "Luminosity" which will be held at Arareity Gallery at 1021 R Street. I'm really excited about this show and am incorporating the abstract figure paintings theme into glass along with my new Christmas ornament for this year which will be a candle.  I'll post photos of the pieces when they're ready.